Bring your water to the boil, throw in your pasta (or you can *place it in if you're want to minimise the OTT passion at home) and then top, stir, dollop, toss with your choice of sauces, proteins and vegetables and watch the smiles creep in.
While there may be some slight variants to how you cook your spaghetti; oil and salt in your boiling water? Or do you rinse it once cooked? Perhaps it's all in the cooking time (we're al dente all the way), however, you get your spaghetti on, one thing's for sure, don't break it even if you bought it! The length actually works in your favour. Listen up sauce-fiends, when you whirl and twirl your spag around your fork it will allow your sauce to dance synonymously with it, make it the perfect mouthful.
So, don't be afraid to get hands-on with your spaghetti when throwing (*or placing) it into your pot, just give it a gentle push to ensure it's all covered. Easy!
Who says you can't eat spag every night? Certainly not us...
The pasta's been spiked! While the celery stick is a little less visible than your hangover cure, this spag has what it takes to rival your next tipple. With a good hit of tomatoes and chilli, and of course Vodka, this recipes makes a killer pasta sauce.
Source: Food Lab
Before you slap us for such a remark, there's a reason! In Italian, spaghetti alla puttanesca translates to just this. Perhaps it's more of a cultural thing, but garlic, anchovies and capers don't seem like the most obvious thing to eat before going to work. Or it could be that, historically, the name comes from the fact that this dish is very quick to cook and eat. Either way, 20 mins is pretty snappy!
Spaghetti alla puttanesca Source: Alan Benson
If you haven't seen cod fishing in action, then this week's episode of Food Safari Water needs to be on your hit list. Think Mad Max meets running of the bulls... we're serious. So when Giovani Pilu wields beautifully salted and cured fish roe, or bottarga, you simply can't say no the "gold of the sea", especially when it teams up with pasta.
Spaghetti alla bottarga Source: Sharyn Cairns
A classic combo of pork, egg, cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino) and black pepper, spaghetti alla carbonara is thought to have been created by the miners (carbonai) in the Apennine mountains who introduced it to Rome on their visits selling coal. Another theory suggests it actually originated in World War II when American servicemen based in Rome had their rations of eggs and bacon prepared by local cooks. But before we can get to the bottom of its history, we need to get to the bottom of this plate...
Source: John Laurie
Keep calm and Sicilian on with this simple shuffle. There are two essential elements to Sicilian food: it has to be local and it has to be in season. That’s why this dish would only be cooked in the warmer months when cherry tomatoes are at their best. Simple is the keyword here, as this dish takes two or three ingredients, flashed in the pan with the pasta and bang, it delivers every time.
Source: Ainsley Harriott's Street Food
Who says sausages are only relegated to big breakfasts. Two hot tips for winning at this sausage spag bowl: one; squeeze the sausage meat from your casings for a smoother texture, and two; let the tomatoey sauce simmer away until thick and rich while you cook the spaghetti.
Dealbreakers
Is pesto really pesto if it doesn’t have garlic?
Creamier and milder than the Italian version, Peru knows how to do a pesto pasta that hits the spot. Scouting out queso fresco (a cow's milk cheese) is very much worth it, giving the dish a beautiful consistency.
Get your seafood spaghetti fix on Food Safari Water, 7:30pm Tuesdays on SBS Food or stream the series on SBS On Demand.
Peruvian-style spaghetti pesto (tallarines verdes) Source: Chris Chen
